Renatus
by PrehistoricCat
Summary: In the aftermath of tragic events, Connor feels the need to do something...


**Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended**

**A/N: Possible spoilers for series 5, although events referred to are purely speculative. Mentions of character death, but if you google the title you might feel a bit more positive. As always, comments are loved and feed the muse.**

* * *

><p>Everyone was still in a state of shock. Walking back into the ARC for the first time since Matt's death seemed like an ordeal. It was supposed to be "business as usual" but how could it be after everything that had happened? Above them, what was once the lab set up by Philip Burton for Connor was empty; all the computers and equipment seized for further investigation. A few weeks ago, Connor would've been distraught that all his work was gone, but he no longer cared. He had almost destroyed the planet with his research and if it wasn't for Matt... He choked back a sob as he thought about how Matt had saved his life on the other side of the anomaly; and then how he'd turned to see the Future Predator pounce on Matt and... Connor shook his head – he wanted to erase that memory from his head completely.<p>

Even Jess was subdued. She had arrived moments after Abby and Connor and settled into her usual seat to start up the ADD. Minutes later she leapt up and headed straight for the ladies bathroom. Abby followed her, guessing that she was crying. Becker soon realised the reason; the ADD was still locked on the last anomaly location - the place where Matt had died. He beckoned for Connor to come over, and asked if he could reset it. Silently, Connor clicked a few buttons and the ADD was set back into scan mode.

Abby and Jess emerged a few minutes later, and Jess returned to her seat. Connor could tell Abby had been crying too, but she would never openly admit it. She'd been hit hard by Matt's death, they'd become close friends over the last few months and Connor had actually found himself jealous of their relationship at times. Once, during a particularly heated argument, he'd even accused Abby of fancying Matt and suggested that perhaps she'd prefer it if he was her boyfriend instead. It was a really stupid thing to say when he thought about it, but he'd been so blinded by Burton that rational thought seemed to escape him.

"Lester's given me the key to Matt's office," Abby said quietly. "Who wants to do this?"

Becker and Connor looked at each other. "I should be debriefing my men," Becker said. "And I've been asked to do the official write up of what happened."

"Guess it's me then," Connor sniffed, holding out his hand for the keys. Abby pressed them into the palm of his hand, then held it in her own.

"We'll do it together, eh?"

-o-

It was almost as if Matt was coming back any minute; his laptop was still open and his notes strewn across the desk. Abby swallowed down the lump building in her throat; she'd spent a lot of time in here with Matt. Mostly, they talked about what they should do about Connor and Burton and went through the bits and pieces of information Abby had managed to glean from Connor, but sometimes they'd chat about personal stuff. That's what they were doing the morning he died; she'd told Matt something that she hadn't quite plucked up the courage to tell Connor yet. Their coffee cups were still by the laptop, probably with mould growing in them.

"Where do we start?" Connor sighed.

Abby looked around the room as if trying to find inspiration. "I suppose anything ARC related should be boxed up and put into the filing room for archiving."

Connor nodded and began rummaging around for some empty boxes. He found a couple and handed one to Abby, then he moved over to the bookshelves where Matt kept his files. He couldn't look at Abby, the pain in her eyes was too much and he felt somewhat responsible. This was all his fault.

They worked in silence for over half an hour, both lost in their own thoughts. Connor was only really just getting his head around the fact that Matt was from the future, and there were questions he wanted to ask. Perhaps Abby would know since she'd been close to Matt? "When was Matt born? How far in the future is... was... he from?" he said out loud, not really expecting a response.

"I don't really know to be honest, Connor." Abby replied. "I don't think it was that far really. He said once the anomalies started converging it all happened very quickly."

"Then maybe things aren't as bad as we think."

"How do you work that one out, Connor? He's dead!" Abby bit her bottom lip as her words stuck in her throat. Connor wrapped his arms around her, but he knew there was little he could say or do to comfort her.

"The way I see it, he hasn't actually been born yet. We should try and find out... maybe we can find his family and help them in some way." Abby pulled away from him and looked at the earnest expression on his face. "I owe him my life, Abby. The least I can do is try to do something for him, even if he doesn't actually know it. The question is, where do we start looking?"

"His father came with him. Matt said he died in a nursing home a few months ago."

"Which one? If we get his father's name, we might be able to track him in the present day."

Abby shook her head. "I don't know, it's not the sort of thing you ask about is it?"

"There'll be paperwork at his flat though, death certificate and so on. Does Becker still have a key?"

"Probably. Connor, is this wise? Haven't we interfered with time enough?" Abby had a bad feeling about what Connor was planning.

"I won't be interfering. I'm just making sure that Matt Anderson will still be born and have a life. Maybe this one will be normal and he won't have to come back and sort out idiots like me."

Connor was already on his way out of the door to get the key from Becker. All Abby could do was follow; once Connor set his mind on something, there was little she could do to stop him.

-o-

"This doesn't feel right, Connor." Abby sat back and watched Connor work his way through a stack of papers they'd found in a cupboard.

"No-one forced you into coming, Abby!" Connor snapped, then instantly regretted it. He'd snapped at her too many times over the last few weeks and she didn't deserve it. He took a deep breath and said quietly. "I need to do this. For Matt."

Abby moved behind him and stroked his shoulders. "Any idea what you're looking for?"

"His father's death certificate doesn't really say anything that will help us, and the rest of this stuff is all the faked paperwork that made it look like he was from this time."

"He probably left all his real identification behind when he came here; too risky."

Connor threw down the pile angrily. "There has to be _something_ here." He got right down on his knees and practically crawled inside the cupboard. "There's a false panel, Abby! What's the betting that his real identification stuff is behind it?"

Abby could almost hear the grin on Connor's face as he spoke. It was good to see him getting enthusiastic about something, even if she wasn't entirely comfortable about going through Matt's personal information. Some minutes later, Connor had pulled away a piece of wood panelling and emerged triumphantly with a new pile of paperwork. "This is it, Abby!"

Connor hoped to find a birth certificate, but he couldn't see anything vaguely resembling one. He was beginning to lose his temper with himself – he was so certain he'd find out when Matt was going to be born but it was like hitting a brick wall. Sensing his frustration, Abby took some of the documents from him and flipped through them. "Got it!" she declared after a few minutes.

"A birth certificate?"

"No, but something close." Abby smiled. She held out an envelope and passed it to Connor. It was marked "County Kilkerry adoption agency"

Silently, Connor opened the envelope and slid out the documents inside. His eyes scanned them for a few seconds before saying. "Matt was adopted. It looks like he was trying to trace his birth family before he came here."

"What does it say?" Abby peered over Connor's shoulder.

"Not much, these initial contacts generally don't. They have to get permission from the real family before they give their details. All this says is that the name given to him at birth was Thomas and he was born on the 12th December... oh my god, Abby... 2011! That's only seven months from now! Somewhere there's a woman that's two months pregnant with baby Matt!"

Connor was practically bouncing around the room, but Abby just felt her head spinning. Two months would be about right. "Calm down, Connor. Do you have any idea how many women are two months pregnant right now?"

He slumped down to the ground, looking slightly deflated. "Hmm, you're right. There must be more? Is there another envelope from the adoption agency?" He grabbed the pile from Abby and threw each document to the ground one by one until he found what he was looking for. It was slightly thicker than the other envelope and still sealed. "He never opened it," Connor said sadly. "He never knew who his real parents were."

"Maybe he changed his mind about finding them? Perhaps when he knew he was going back to the time they were from he decided against it?" Connor began to rip open the envelope and Abby scowled at him. "What good will it do knowing now? His mother is already pregnant with him; he's going to be born... isn't that what you wanted?"

Connor pulled out the documents. "Dear Mr Anderson, thank you for your recent enquiry... blah blah blah... We're delighted to inform you that we have traced your birth father and he has given permission for his details, and those of your birth mother, to be passed on to you."

"Connor, stop. This is too personal." She stared at Connor, he wasn't listening. His eyes were wide and his mouth dropped open, and then a single tear fell down his cheek. "Connor? What's wrong?" She tried to wipe the tear away for him but he pushed her away and stood up, shoving the letter back into the envelope.

"You're right, it is too personal." He moved away and went into the kitchen. When Abby found him a few minutes later, he was shaking and crying.

"What is it? We said no more secrets didn't we." She slid her arms around his waist. Silently, he handed her the envelope, then pulled away from her and went to sit on the stool by the counter.

Puzzled, Abby pulled out the letter and carried on reading where Connor had left off. "Birth father's name: Connor Temple." Abby closed her eyes; she didn't dare read the rest but she guessed what it said.

"Are you...Abby, are you pregnant?" Connor's voice wobbled as he spoke.

"I'm late. Two months would be about right."

Connor let out a loud sob and buried his face in his hands. Now Abby was concerned; that wasn't quite the reaction she was expecting from him. Shaking, she read the rest of the letter and it all became clearer. Matt's birth father – Connor – lived in Blackburn according to the letter. Abby recognised the address; it was his mother's. Connor had moved back home. "Birth mother's name: Abigail Sarah Temple (deceased)" This was why Connor was so upset. She grabbed another stool and sat beside Connor, pressing her head against his. He looked up and squeezed her hand.

"This isn't going to happen now, Connor," Abby whispered. "This says I died when baby Thomas was three months old; one of the first victims of the convergence and you moved back home to Blackburn to escape what was happening in London. We stopped that. I'm not going to die and you won't have to give up our baby for adoption." She pressed her hand against Connor's cheek, forcing him to look at her. When their eyes locked, there were no words needed. Abby closed the gap between them and kissed him tenderly, melting into his arms.

Connor slid his hand to Abby's stomach and let out a happy sigh. "Let's call him by the name we know him by. He can be Matthew Thomas."

Abby nodded and snuggled into Connor's protective arms. Matt 'Anderson' would still live on, and this time he could live the life he really wanted to.


End file.
